


broken smiles  (tell of twisted souls)

by sailing_ships



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 03:59:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5319605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailing_ships/pseuds/sailing_ships
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Where Skye walked away from everything (twice), and Ward Followed the path she made (twice). </p>
<p>Takes place somewhere in seasons one and two. Hydra is not a current threat, but Skye has gone through terrigenesis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	broken smiles  (tell of twisted souls)

The thought of walking away took root on the night she was filled with unparalleled anger. She shook with it. Her hands were begging to release it. So she did.  
Her hands weren't wrapped, and the bag was solid, but she swung out, over and over again.    
Coulson had lied. Punch.  
May had gone along with it. Punch.  
Simmons knew too. Punch.  
Fitz said nothing. Punch.  
Ward let it happen. She swung out but her hand hit something that was not the bag. It was warm and firm. She knew that prescence without even looking up. She ripped her hand from his grasp. turning away from him, Skye gulped down water.

"Say it." Skye bit out.

"Say what?" Ward replied in a tone opposite of hers.

"The snarky remark that's sitting at the tip of your tongue."

"I'm not then one who makes the snarky remarks."

Her fingernails dug into her palm. It took all of her not to punch him just like she had been punching the bag. 

"What was the plan Ward? Were you all just planning on ignoring this until we touched down tomorrow, and then dragging me off the bus with no warning?"

"Skye, what were we supposed to do? The director of SHIELD personally gave the order to have you removed from the bus. We couldn't deny his request, but no one wants you off this bus. After you went through terrigenesis, Fury was skeptical, he didn't want to keep you here, but Coulson persuaded him, but now that so many inhumans are surfacing, he can't risk it. Coulson tried; this time fury just won't budge. We didn't want to tell you before we knew."

Skye almost screamed. Her anger was getting the best of her. 

Ward saw it coming before she did. He reached out for her slowly. 

"Skye. You need to calm down." He practically begged. 

They both knew this plane would drop like a stone if she didn't calm down. 

He reached for her hands and held them in his. Without saying anything Skye fixed her eyes on his. Holding his gaze and slowing her breath until she was calm enough to watch the panic drain from Ward's eyes. But he didn't step away.  
She couldn't remember the last time they stood this close. She did her best to project her movements. She moved forward slowly. But he didn't. He stepped back. 

He cleared his throat cautiously. 

"I'm sorry Skye. I really am." He took one last look at her before making his way up the spiral staircase. 

As angry as she was right now, she loved this team. She knew she couldn't be a part of SHIELD if she couldn't be with this team. 

So she decided. 

***

Skye wrote her goodbye in a line of code on one of the lab computers. By the time they had deciphered it she would be long gone, but she would still be able to say goodbye. 

They touched down at 3 a.m., giving Skye enough time to get off the bus before May emerged from the cockpit. 

Opening the ramp was not an option. So she rewired one of the emergency exit doors to open without setting off any alarms. 

Her bag was thrown out first. She followed. 

Skye only packed what she needed her laptop, a few pieces of tactical gear, clothing. Whatever savings she had was transferred to her most untraceable account. The last thing she remember to bring was a few extra mags, and the small handgun Ward had given her on her birthday. It would be enough. 

Or so she told herself. 

The air was brisk. Their touchdown location was two miles from the nearest town. Or so said her phone's GPS. 

It was almost 7 a.m. But the time she reached the town. The walk was not two miles. 

She bought a ticket for 3 different buses. Partly because she wanted to throw anyone searching for her, off her scent, partly because she had no idea where she was going. 

She decided on North Carolina. 

She boarded the bus an hour later, and she finally stopped looking over her shoulder when the bus station was out of sight. 

She slept fitfully through the entire bus ride. But she slept. It was 3 a.m. When they finally reached North Carolina two days later. 

Skye had a thing with 3 a.m. wake up calls, apparently. 

So at 3:27 a.m. she rented a car under the name Wendy Gaff. At 3:39 a.m. she checked into a hotel under the name Wendy Gaff. 

At 4:17 a.m. After checking the room, and hallways for exits and preparing her stuff to leave at a moments notice she took a shower and went to sleep. She didn't wake up until 3 p.m. 

***

For three weeks she stayed in the small town at the edge of North Carolina. She moved hotels every few days using different names. She worked night shifts at the local bar to earn enough money to keep her afloat.

It was a Monday night. She returned to the motel she had checked into last night. 

Something wasn't right. She pulled her gun and made her way to her room. Unlocking the door she scanned the room for any signs of movement before entering. Hands circled Skye's throat. She threw her body weight downwards to throw off her attacker. She had a split second to break his hold on her neck.  
She kicked her right leg out, sweeping her attackers legs from underneath him.  
She tried to scramble for her gun, but her attacker already had a hold of her foot. 

He dragged Skye towards him.  
The man stood up, placing his foot on her stomach he trained his gun on her head. 

"Hello Skye," the man finally spoke in a rough, gravelly tone that suited him. "My organization has heard about you and your abilities. We are very interested, and would love to bring you in."

Skye stayed silent. The man looked at her awaiting her response. She would give him nothing. 

The man holstered his gun and reached down for Skye when he was thrown off his feet. 

Skye didn't waste a second. She grabbed her bag, that was always packed and made a beeline for her car. She had to get out of here. 

She froze when she saw who her rescuer was. None other than Grant Ward. He stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth. Her attacker was tied up and out cold. 

"Skye." Grant addressed her. She jumped. 

"Why are you here. I told you not to follow me." She responded. 

"Actually, you never told me, or anyone on the bus. You never said goodbye. You left an encrypted message on a computer that took us days to decipher. By the time we had decoded your message, we were halfway around the world on another mission. A mission that failed. Because we didn't have you." His stony facade began to fall away. 

"Coulson wanted to go after you himself,  
But he couldn't. So he sent me.  
Skye, Coulson spoke to Director Fury. He has agreed to reevaluate his order to have you removed from the bus. You just have to come with me." Grant pleaded with her. She could see the desperation in his eyes. He was never good at concealing his emotions, at least not around her. 

She shook her head. 

"Grant." She never called him Grant. "I can't go back. I ran away. I've disappointed the team enough. What if Director Fury doesn't retract his order? I can't be a part of SHIELD if I can't be on the team."

"Coulson is doing everything he can to ensure that you can stay on the team. Skye. Please, just come with me."

"I can't. I can't risk it. I'm not good at letting go. But I am good at running. And that's what I have to do. Don't follow me Grant." 

She kissed Ward on the cheek as she walked away. It was gentle. But it was goodbye. It was enough. Or so she told herself. 

***

She went to Tennessee. It was far enough, and she hoped Ward wouldn't expect her to stay so close to where she had just been, so it would throw him off her scent. 

And so it did. 

But after three days, she left. Because she couldn't risk it. Because as much as she wanted to ignore it, seeing Ward, hearing him beg her to come back, seeing the desperation in his eyes, it made her want to return. 

It made her wish she could go back with him, to the team. 

It made her miss the team, and the bus, the place she had begun to call home. And that scared her. She didn't have a home. She couldn't. 

For 2 months she kept moving. She lost track of all the places she visited.  
So often she imagined returning to the team, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop running. She didn't know how. 

Sometimes she would see hints of Grant as she traveled. Sometimes it was the order of food the waiter carried to the booth next to hers, but when she would steal a glance to see if maybe it was him, there was no one there. Sometimes she swore she smelled him. There was a scent that was his. No one else smelled just like he did. The air in the room would sometimes change, and it was so obvious she couldn't ignore it. Grant was there. But he wasn't. She didn't miss Grant. She was just anxious, and sleep deprived. Or so she told herself. 

***

She was in Minnesota. That's all she remembered. 

She saw her name on a wanted poster. Her face too. The same number she had called many a time to report to Coulson was listed underneath. She tore the poster down. Unaware of who was watching. She was only aware of the tears stinging her eyes and the almost imperceptible shaking of the ground at her feet. 

She was reminded again why she never got attached to people. Because people betrayed you. But she was stronger than she had ever been. So she blinked back her tears and burned the paper in the trash can at the hotel as she packed up her bags. 

This time she was going somewhere a car couldn't take her. 

Her plane ticket was to Budapest. Coulson always told her about it. So that would be the last place he would expect her to go, or the first. She couldn't decide which one she wanted more. 

The flight was long. She sat next to a young mother with her little boy. She used to love kids. She didn't anymore. The flight was basically hell. 

After scrambling off the hellish flight, and retrieving her bag, she went in search of a car to hotwire. She didn't have enough money to rent a car, plus, she was already wanted, what's a little more wood to the fire? 

She noticed the quinjet before it even landed. It circled the sky above the airport, almost like someone on the flight knew she was there. The flight patterns were something planned by a SHIELD operative. And no one else has the landing gear their quinjets did. She smiled at the idea of a confrontation. She didn't want to hurt the team. They were still her team. Even if she hadn't seen them in over three months. She just wanted to clear the air. And show them what she could do if they didn't call off the warrant for her arrest, and set her free. Skye didn't do well with betrayal. 

Skye did little to conceal her identity. She used her real name to book a hotel room for the first time in months. She didn't slink around, but rather strutted. She couldn't wait for the team to discover her. It was like a twisted family reunion. 

To their credit, the team was extremely graceful when they swooped in to take her away, but she knew May's tactics, and as subtle a Ward tried to be, well he wasn't, not by her standards. 

She listened as Ward attempted to rewire the electronic lock on her door, and May in the lobby, pretending to be a bystander just wasn't working. 

She was sick of hearing him struggle, she clicked open the deadbolt and swung the door open. She chuckled as he face planted at her feet. 

"Seeing you grovel at my feet is oddly satisfying, Ward." She snarked at him. 

He groaned as he sat up. A twisted smile on his face. "Good to see you too Skye."

She watched as Ward got up, and she began to pack up the few possessions she had in her backpack. 

Ward watched her every move. If she didn't know better she might have said she saw relief, and a little bit of lust in his eyes. But she knew better. She slung her pack over her shoulder and flashed him a mischievous grin. It did not go unnoticed. 

"Let's go then, shall we." She called to him. He followed close behind. 

When the elevator doors opened in the lobby, Skye saw May reach for her weapon, she couldn't tell if it was an icer or not. May only withdrew her hand when she saw how close Ward was standing to her. 

"Is the quinjet picking us up here or...." Skye inquires.  
May smirks. 

The quinjet lands in the empty parking lot, as expected. They board an oddly silent quinjet. The pilot is a young British man, Ward moves to sit up with him, she hears hushed whispers, but cannot make out their conversation. 

May sits across from her. She smiles at May, but May sees the change in her smile. It's not the sweet, broken smile it used to be, it's more grim than she's ever seen it. May can't imagine what had happened these past three months to change her smile so much. 

5 hours they are on the plane. 5 hours. Skye knows they are flying in circles, and she makes it a point to tell the pilot. Ward chuckles, the pilot, Hunter, she picked up, is less than amused. 

But they finally land. In a base she has never seen. This one is smaller, but there is no lack of activity. 

Of course Coulson is there to greet them when the ramp lowers. Skye doesn't not acknowledge him. She wonders if he knows what it's like to feel betrayed, she wishes she could show him. These dark thoughts surprise her. Skye really, really, does not do well with betrayal. 

"Walk with me Skye." Coulson says. All business. Skye is not used to that tone, but it has been three months. 

She nods. Skye barely catches the glint of desperation and anger in Ward's eyes.  
"We've been tracking you Skye. For three months. We've kept interested parties off your scent, and we've let you be free, because you weren't causing any trouble, but when this showed up two weeks ago in Arizona, we couldn't trust you anymore. Your intent to kill was obvious." He pulls out his tablet, and displays an image of a crack in the ground. At least a football field in length, and twice as deep. This kind of anomaly could only be created by someone with her abilities. 

"This split the city of Phoenix in half, killing hundreds, and wounding thousands more."

Her bitter smile resurfaces.  
"Coulson, you of all people should know that I have no intent to kill!" She practically screamed. Then her face shifted. And eerie calm settled over her features. "And as much as I have learned to control my powers, I can't do that, not yet. And I wasn't even in Arizona two weeks ago." She scoffed. 

"This will all be easier if you cooperate. Please Skye."

"I can't make you believe me, but I can show you evidence that proves I wasn't in Arizona."

"Alright Skye, but as a safety precaution, we have to put you in one of the holding cells." The pain in Coulson's eyes is evident. 

Something snaps inside her. All hope she had of joining the team again is gone. All she sees is red. 

Skye doesn't feel it when they put the gauntlet on her wrists, she doesn't feel when the guards lead her into the basement cell, and the reality of the situation doesn't hit her until she hears the opaque, electric screen, buzzing in front of her. 

Skye knows it's worthless to fight, so she pulls up the information on her computer, and shows it to Coulson. 

Coulson accepts it without question, but he can't let her go, not until the council approves it too. 

One night passes. It brings no sleep. She is startled by two voice she hasn't heard in way too long. She smiles. This smile is filled with hurt. 

"Hello Skye." Simmons manages to choke out. 

"It's good to see you again." Fitz finishes for her. 

Skye nods. Their conversation is pleasant. Without meaning to, they say goodbye to Skye, and she says the same back. This goodbye is heavy, and indefinite. It's better this way. Or so she tells herself. 

A second night passes. Still no sleep.  
May visits that morning. She doesn't say much. She just slides Skye a tray of food through a slot in the electronic barrier. Before the hole is closed again, May grabs her hand and holds it. The pain is conveyed in both their eyes. Nothing else is said. May leaves shortly afterwards. 

Night three passes. She sleeps fitfully, but she sleeps. 

She wakes to Ward. He sits in a single chair in the room, and smiles at her when he realizes she is up. 

"Good morning Skye."He is the first person to enter this basement cell, that she felt she could truly trust. 

"Hello Grant." She stands from the uncomfortable cot. 

There is something in his eyes that speaks of escape, and trouble, and something more than this. 

Skye knows she can't stay here, and Grant knows too. He turns off the cameras, and speaks of the distrust that has been building in his gut for months. He tells her of all the things he has seen SHIELD sweep under the rug. He tells her about the things Coulson has done, that neither of them ever thought he would do. And he tells her he can't stay here any longer. 

He leaves the cell soon after, but not without making promises she desperately hoped he would keep. 

For the rest of the day she paces. For the first time, she feels anxious about all of this. She is startled out of her anxious trance by the voice of Coulson. This time the voice is warm, but it's too late for that.  
"You're cleared Skye. The council is investigating another lead. Your arrest warrant has been waived, your record is cleared. Welcome back to SHIELD, welcome back to the team."

She laughs. This laugh is dark. She shakes her head. Her bitter smile has completely replaced the once beautiful one. 

"With all due respect Agent Coulson, it's too late for that. The SHIELD I once knew, the team I once knew, did not betray it's own, at the slightest hint of superstition or fear. They didn't accuse their own of such heinous crimes. I can't be a part of this anymore." 

She is amazed by how fast the mask Coulson once wore around her, but had since been removed, slides back into place. 

And now she knew that Coulson felt her pain, and it didn't bring her peace like she thought it would. 

***

Coulson could barely look at her. He left her with a tall, blonde woman by the name of Agent Morse. Her bag was collected, the gauntlets removed, she was made to sign paperwork, releasing her from SHIELD. She was put on a registry of inhumans, her gear was confiscated, the small handgun Grant had given her for her birthday, was not. 

It was 3 a.m. when she was dismissed, May, Fitz, Simmons, Coulson, even the two new agents, Morse and Hunter, were lined up to see her off. Ward was not. She almost brought the whole building down right then and there, but she didn't. 

She gave each agent a proper goodbye. A hug for her former team members, a handshake for the two agents she had just met. 

She turned her back to them as the hangar door opened.

But she didn't make a move to leave, because she sensed him coming. And so he did. 

A large, black duffle bag slung over his shoulder, and a proud smirk on his face, he faced the shocked looks of the rest of the team with a shockingly cold demeanor. 

"Agent Ward, yo-" Coulson began.

"Fax them to me Coulson, I left all the SHIELD gear on the bed." Ward quipped.  
"May, always a pleasure working with you. Goodbye Fitzsimmons, always enjoyed our little chats. Coulson, it was great while it lasted." With a slap on the back to Hunter, and a curt nod to Morse, he stepped away from the remaining members of what they used to call their team. 

He stepped forward, and laced his fingers with Skye's. He pulled a car key from his pocket. Pressing a series of buttons, Ward brought a large black, Jeep forward. Grabbing her bag from her, he placed it into the backseat along with his own, opening the door for her, he stepped into the drivers seat beside her, intertwining their fingers. 

Skye reached her free hand out and rolled the window down. She threw a careless wave in the direction of the people she used to call her family. 

Ward sped out of the SHIELD base.  
They stopped at a fork in the road, and he turned to her. 

"How does it feel to be free, Skye." 

"Better than you could ever know, Grant."

He smiled and so did she. Both of their smiles were twisted, but that wasn't a problem. 

They sat on the deserted road reveling in their freedom, reveling in each other, and when Skye looked at Grant his eyes spoke of galaxies waiting to be explored, and and when Grant looked at Skye, hers spoke of the vastness of time, and what was still to come. And for the first time, she felt something deep in the pit of her stomach, something that felt a lot like love, no matter how twisted, and buried underneath broken layers it might be. 

And she said nothing, but the way Grant's hand tightened around hers, she knew he felt it too. 

And so, off they went, to explore the galaxies beyond. And they both knew that was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> •HOLY COW YOU MADE IT THROUGH. Proud of you.  
> •This turned out a lot different from what I had planned.  
> •I'm considering continuing this, but, as this is my first fic, I'm not sure, so feedback is greatly appreciated.  
> •Thanks for reading!


End file.
